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Sunday, August 31, 2014

Another Miette Cardigan - because the other sweater is in a time out

This was not the sweater I was planning on sharing this week. THAT one is in time out. It is in the corner being punished, only to be let out when sufficient time has passed and I am no longer personally offended by the crime committed. That mean little witch had the audacity to be so tight at the cast off edge that it creates a reverse muffin top. I was really hoping that blocking it would whip it in to submission, but alas it is still too tight so it will be spending some time in the corner till I can bring myself to undo the cast off and try Jeny's surprisingly stretchy bind off. So instead I am sharing this outfit with you.

Yesterday my man and I decided to go downtown for a walk around and enjoy the sunny day. There was a bit of chill in the air and you could really feel the changing of the season stinging the cheeks but we enjoyed ourselves non the less. We both love this massive graffiti style mural. We have talked about using it as a backdrop for photos many times and decided that it was time.

This sweater is another Miette cardigan, made from a free pattern by Andi Satterland. I believe this was her very first (of many) awesome vintage inspired sweaters. She talks a bit about the pattern on her blog Untangling Knots. I've been obsessed with her patterns lately. That naughty one that's in time out is another one of her patterns as is the next sweater that I'm already working on. Oh and I'm also planning on doing a knit-a-long that she's hosting for her Marion Cardigan. If you are interested, you can find out more about it in her Ravelry Group. This is the second Miette that I've made. The first one I shared about in my Lil Red Miette post. Her patterns have such a great vintage feel but, unlike most truly authentic vintage patterns, use modern construction techniques and usually, worsted weight yarn. This means that they knit up MUCH quicker(and cheaper)than vintage pattern which usually call for fingering weight yarns.

I used Dream in Color Classy yarn in Bermuda Teal. I have a serious love/hate relationship with this yarn. The color ways are just amazing and it's so soft to the touch. I enjoy the feel of this yarn as it weaves around my fingers. That's the love part. However, I never seem to know what the hell this yarn is going to do during blocking. This is the second sweater I've knit with this exact yarn. The first one grew during blocking so much I was in tears, it seriously grew 3 sizes. In a last stitch effort I was forced to wash it in hot water (in a machine, yikes) and dry it on high heat. This, is usually the kiss of death for a hand knit sweater, who would do such a thing? But I was desperate. It did shrink down some but I lost so much stitch definition and it instantly aged the sweater 10 years. So, when I decided to try another sweater with the same yarn, I thought I was being smart to knit it up in a size too small, knowing that it would GROW during blocking. Ya, look how tight this puppy is. I like my cardigans to fit snug, but this is pushing it a little. I'm glad I sewed those buttons tight, if not they might pop off and injure someone.

As for the rest of my outfit, check out that headband. Cute right? Guess who designed that little gem. Yep, you got it. It just happens to be the first pattern I ever shared. Check out the post and pattern Bandana Bow Tie. That was back when I thought small pictures were some how a good idea. I've gotten over that.

The skirt is also made by me. I will be sharing the how-to for this skirt in a future post, doing so now would make for a very long post and I just don't have the energy for it now. I'm totally in love with it though, the fabric is fabulous. I have 3 cardigans that match it already and the one I'm working on now goes with it as well. It doesn't get much more versatile than that. Making this skirt has rekindled my desire to sew and I'm now having to decided whether I want to be knitting or sewing. Oh, decisions, decisions. I see lots of matching skirts and cardigans in my future.

So for you crafty gals out there, do you have more than one craft? How do you decide which one to do and when? If you're not particularly crafty, what do you do in your spare time? I have more free time than most people and am always looking for new and different things to do.

Thank you for reading, I appreciate you spending some of your free time with me.

Hello Darling

Welcome!

Thank you for stopping by She Knits in Pearls, they call me Cherry and this is my little spot on the web to share my crazy knitting, crafting, and life adventures. I have a passion for all things vintage and love to mix the past and present into the things I design, make and surround myself with. Happy to have you here!